Christchurch
to Greymouth
on the scenic TranzAlpine
train...

It's perhaps the most scenic train
ride in New Zealand, and one of the most scenic train trips
anywhere in the world. The TranzAlpine, run by
New Zealand train operator Kiwi Rail, runs once
daily between Christchurch, Arthur's Pass and Greymouth on the
South Island's west coast, through the amazing misty mountain
scenery of the Southern Alps. The journey takes 4½
hours, and if you like you can go there and back in a
day with an hour in Greymouth. Or take the TranzAlpine
one-way, and connect with buses down the west coast to Franz
Josef Glacier. Although I rate the North Island's
Northern Explorer (formerly Overlander)
from Auckland to Wellington as a far more historic and epic
route, and in many ways almost equally scenic, you certainly won't regret buying a ticket for
the TranzAlpine! This
page explains the TranzAlpine's timetable, fares, how to buy
the cheapest tickets, and what there is to see on the journey.

Sponsored
links...

The TranzAlpine is the most successful of all the
Kiwi Rail (formerly Tranz
Scenic) passenger train services, as it's very popular with tour groups
because of the spectacular scenery through the Southern Alps
between Christchurch and the South Island's west coast at
Greymouth. It's a fantastic trip that lives up to its
reputation, though in many ways the TranzAlpine is not as epic
or historic as the Auckland-Wellington
Northern Explorer.

Christchurch ► Greymouth

Greymouth ►
Christchurch

The 'Tranz-Alpine' train

Daily

The 'Tranz-Alpine' train

Daily

Depart
Christchurch

08:15

Depart Greymouth

13:45

Arthur's Pass arrive/depart

10:42

Arthur's Pass arrive/depart

15:57

Arrive Greymouth

12:45

Arrive Christchurch

18:05

The
TranzAlpine runs daily. One-class seating, cafe-bar &
open air viewing platform. The journey is 223.8km.

* Super-Saver =
limited availability, no refunds, no changes.
Smart-Saver = limited availability, $20 for any changes
which can only be made more than 48 hours or more before
departure. These cheap fares disappear from the Kiwi
Rail
Scenic Journeys website when it is viewed from a computer outside NZ, so
either book by phone
from the Christchurch i-SITE visitor centre on +64 3 379
9629 or use the Tor Browser workaround explained below to buy these fares
online.

Buying your ticket online is simple, but not as simple as it should be.
You can buy tickets for the TranzAlpine at
www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz
with self-print tickets, but Kiwi Rail have set
up their website to hide the cheaper Super-Saver & promotional fares if your
computer is located outside New Zealand, even though anyone from any country is
entitled to buy them. The screenshots
below speak for themselves. I was shocked when I first worked out what was going on,
but fear not, a clever workaround is explained below...

What you see if you just book using your PC normally:

What you see if you book using either the Tor Browser or Chrome with the
Hola! extension installed, as explained below:

The workaround: How to buy cheap tickets online from
outside NZ using the Tor browser: Anyone from any country is
entitled to buy the cheaper fares shown in the second screenshot, the only
problem is that they don't appear unless you give your PC a New Zealand IP address. So
here's how to do just that:

(2) Open your PC's file explorer, open the
Tor Browser folder, then the Data folder, then the Tor
folder and look for a text document called torrc-defaults.

(3) Open torrc-defaults
with Notepad or any suitable text file editor, scroll to the bottom, hit
'return' a couple of times and cut & paste ' ExitNodes {nz} ' into the text
document, without the quote marks of course. This sets up the Tor
browser to use a New Zealand IP address. Save the file after editing.

(4) Open the Tor browser. You are now browsing through a random relay of
servers, exiting the relay with an NZ IP address. The
connection naturally works a bit slower than your normal
internet connection, but it does work!

(5) Go to
www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz
and buy your tickets. You should now see the full range
of fares (if they are available, obviously).

Or use the Chrome browser extension 'Hola!'. This might be
even easier than using
Tor. Simply install the Hola!
extension for Google's Chrome browser, see http://hola.org.
Hola! is a browser extension which allows you to surf using an IP address chosen from a
whole range of countries. I use Hola! to watch BBC iPlayer on my laptop
when I'm at my in-laws in the Netherlands, as BBC iPlayer is
blocked when your laptop is outside the UK. By installing Hola! and selecting 'New Zealand' you can browse the
KiwiRail site with an NZ IP address and buy at the correct price, easily...
Feedback would be
appreciated!

Or buy via an international phone call instead: If you're not sufficiently
computer-savvy, you can buy all the cheap
prices if you call New Zealand. Call
KiwiRail Scenic Journeys telesales on + 64 4 495 0775, as all fares are
available by phone, potentially saving money even allowing for the cost the
call.

Or buy online from Rail New Zealand:
You can also check train times, prices & buy tickets at
www.railnewzealand.com, although they say they don't sell Saver fares, only
full-price.

From outside New Zealand, call Kiwi Rail's Scenic Journeys
passenger division on +
64 4 495 0775, remembering that NZ is 13 hours
ahead of the UK in the UK's winter, 11 hours in summer - you should be able to buy the full range of
fares including Super-Saver and Smart-Saver. When you're
in NZ, call them on their free-phone number, 0800
TRAINS (0800
872 467).

Alternatively, if you live in the
UK or Ireland you can arrange New Zealand train tickets or passes &
reservations with
International Rail, call 0844 248 248 3. From outside the UK +44 844 248 248 3. Lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday.

Custom-made tours of New Zealand with train travel...

Tailor-made holiday specialist
Railbookers can arrange tours or holidays around New Zealand using train travel
rather than buses or flights. A 7-night trip from Auckland to Wellington on
the Northern Explorer, Wellington to Picton on the inter-island
ferry, Picton to Christchurch on the Coastal Pacific, and Christchurch to
Greymouth on the TranzAlpine starts at
around £799 per person excluding UK-NZ flights.

The TranzAlpine has been relaunched with brand new 'AK' panoramic
sightseeing coaches built in Kiwi Rail's Dunedin workshops in
New Zealand in 2011-2012. These have replaced the old rebuilt
1950s carriages used until late 2012. Photos courtesy of James Chuang

Reclining seats, most facing direction of travel,
all lining up with huge panoramic windows - note the roof
skylights too!. There's loads of legroom even if you're over six feet tall.
Seats
recline to about 40 degrees. Seats are not allocated
at booking, but by the train manager before departure.
However, if you book by phone (or book online then call
Kiwi Rail's freephone number when you get
to NZ quoting your booking reference) you can make a
seating request. Seats on the right-hand side of
the train going to Greymouth probably get the best
views, or the left-hand side returning to Christchurch.
Four friends or family
travelling together could request one of the few bays of 4
seats facing each other around a table, keen photographers
might want to request a
seat close to the open-air viewing car. Requests can't be
guaranteed, but it doesn't hurt to ask!
All your heavy baggage is checked in to the baggage van,
only hand luggage may be taken into the seating coaches.

Cafe-bar:
In the centre of the train is a counter selling tea,
coffee, wine, beer, spirits, snacks & light
microwaveable meals at reasonable prices. I can
recommend a cream tea in the afternoon, and a
glass of Montana Sauvignon Blanc!
You take your food & drink back to your seat. Bring cash
if possible
as cards are sometimes not accepted if the credit card
machine is out of cellphone range.

Open-air viewing platform:
At one end of the train is a large open-air viewing platform, ideal for seeing and
photographing the scenery, with no
glass in between you and it. Children must be
accompanied.

Free shuttle bus for Tranz
Alpine departures from Christchurch: Heading
out from Christchurch to Greymouth, a free
Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys shuttle (shuttle = shared minibus taxi) operates to a set
timetable from most hotels and guesthouses in central
Christchurch out to the railway station to meet the
Tranz-Alpine departure for Greymouth.
There's no need to book, just ask your guesthouse (or freephone and ask
Kiwi Rail) what time the shuttle leaves
which hotel. It departs between 07:00 and 07:40, for example, it leaves the
Armagh Road at 07:13 to connect with the Tranz-Alpine's
08:15 departure for Greymouth. Heading back from Greymouth, there is no free shuttle meeting train arrivals
in Christchurch, but a fleet of normal shuttles to the city
centre will be waiting for the train and cost about NZ$6 per person.

Make a seating request:
Seats are not allocated at booking, but on departure.
If you book by phone (or book online and then call Kiwi
Rail's freephone number when you get
to NZ at least the day before travel, quoting your booking
reference) you can make a seating
request. Seats on
the right-hand side of the train going to Greymouth probably
get the best views, or
the left-hand side returning to Christchurch. Keen photographers
could also request
seats close to the viewing
platform. Families or small groups may prefer a bay
of 4 seats around a table to unidirectional seats. Requests can't be guaranteed, of course,
but it doesn't hurt to ask!

You should check in at least 20
minutes before departure at Christchurch's passenger
railway station. This small modern rail terminal opened in 1993 in
the suburb of Addington, about 3 km (1.5 miles) southwest of
Christchurch city centre. You check-in at the desks in
the main entrance hall, where you are allocated your seat
numbers. Heavy baggage
must be checked in to the baggage car. The station
stands in the middle of an unremarkable industrial estate,
but this whole area was once the massive Addington
railway works where many of New Zealand Railways'
locomotives and rolling stock were made. There's
little left to show for it now! Christchurch's
original railway station was located on Moorhouse Avenue
immediately to the south of the city centre. Until the
recent earthquake, the
old station building, completed in 1960 to a design
first published in 1938, still existed and was being used as
the 'Science Alive' entertainment centre.

The TranzAlpine leaves
Christchurch at 08:15, and within ten minutes the Addington cement works and freight yards give way to
small wooden suburban bungalows. Minutes later the
train is crossing flat open farmland, doing 60mph across the
Canterbury plain heading
relentlessly towards the snow-capped Southern Alps on the
horizon.

The train passes fields of sheep,
cattle, and red deer, passes the small commuter town of Darfield,
and the first tentative foothills appear. At around
9am the train calls at Springfield, where fresh muffins are
loaded aboard for the cafe-bar...

At around 09:20 the TranzAlpine starts
its climb into the Southern Alps, with views of the stunning Waimakiriri River gorge to the right.

As it climbs, the train crosses a
series of steel girder bridges over deep gorges and through a series of short
tunnels. The highest viaduct is the famous
'Staircase', 73 metres above the river. The scenery
here is spectacular.

By about 09.40, the train reaches
a grassy plateau dotted with hills. Hills give way to
more mountains, liberally hung with mist.

At 10:15 the TranzAlpine stops at Arthurs Pass station, surrounded by
yet more mist-laden
mountains, and there's time to get out , stretch your legs and take photographs.

Almost immediately after leaving
Arthurs Pass the train enters the Otira Tunnel. At 8.6
kilometres (5.3 miles) long, it's one of the longest tunnels
in New Zealand. It was only completed in 1923,
allowing direct train travel from east to west across the
South Island. This section of line was once
electrified, but now a door closes behind each train,
allowing the train to act as a huge piston, forcing the
diesel fumes out.

Just the other side of the tunnel
is Otira itself, where the TranzAlpine makes a very brief
call. Otira was a railway town, running the railway
that kept the coal flowing from the west coast coalfields to
Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand.

The train now follows a deep
valley containing a broad shallow river. It crosses
that river on a low bridge several times. Ever more
mist-laden mountains flank the valley, a wonderful part of
the journey. Watch out for
waterfalls...

At around 12:00 the TranzAlpine passes
the site of the Old Brunner Mine, just across the valley on
the other side of the Grey River. This was the site of
New Zealand's
worst mining disaster in 1896. An
ancient suspension bridge links the railway side of the
river with the mine.

The train passes Dobson, an old
coal-mining town though all the mines are now closed.

The TranzAlpine reaches Greymouth, a small town even by New Zealand standards, but
it's the west coast's main centre.
Even if it was warm and sunny in Christchurch, don't be
surprised if you need your umbrella in Greymouth! Greymouth's
wooden station building now houses an extensive gift shop and travel
centre. Buses leave from just outside the station for
destinations down the west coast, including Franz Josef
Glacier. If you're returning to Christchurch the same
day you have an hour to explore the town or find some food - try the
Cafe 124, on the main road just along from the station.
The town clock is on the river bank, originally housed in the
tower of the impressive colonial post office. The post
office and its tower were demolished as they were thought to
be an earthquake risk, and the
clock now stands in its own short wooden tower. Next
to it on the river bank is a sign which warns against eating
fish caught next to the nearby sewer outlet. Welcome
to Greymouth!

These
photos show the old TranzAlpine train which used rebuilt
1950 coaches until 2012. You'll now see the
same wonderful scenery, but from a far nicer more modern
train, see the
new train photos above!

After
leaving Christchurch the train stops briefly at Springfield in the
Canterbury Plain. The Southern Alps lie dead ahead...

The Waimakiriri Gorge, seen from the TranzAlpine as it
starts its steep climb into the Southern Alps...

The Tranz-Alpine train ascends into the Southern Alps over
a series of girder bridges and tunnels...

The river
is now in a gorge way below the railway...

The train
reaches a plateau, crossing and re-crossing a board
shallow river...

More scenery
in the Southern Alps...

Enjoying a Devonshire cream tea from the cafe-bar.

Yet more
beautiful scenery...

Arthur's
Pass, just before the Otira Tunnel

After
Otira, the TranzAlpine train snakes its way through the Misty Mountains,
which live up to their name. The open-air viewing
car allows you to get up close and personal with the
outdoors, great for photography...

The train
is still alongside a river, now with thick green bush on
either bank. Near Greymouth the TranzAlpine passes the Brunner
Mine, site of New Zealand's worst mining disaster in
1896 (above right)...

Journey's
end: The TranzAlpine arrived at Greymouth station on
the rainy west coast of NZ's south island.

The town clock at
Greymouth. The sign on the right warns you not to
eat
fish caught next to the sewer outlet!

Watch the
video - A journey on the Tranzalpine...

This video gives an excellent idea of just how good the
TranzAlpine train ride can be!

Video by
Robanca

Railpasses for New Zealand

There is an
excellent New Zealand Scenic Railpass giving unlimited travel on
all Kiwi Rail Scenic trains including the TranzAlpine, and (if
you buy the ferry-inclusive version), the Interislander
Ferry between Wellington and Picton. If you're going
to travel on all 3 trains from Auckland to Wellington,
across on the ferry, down to Christchurch and on to
Greymouth, the 7-day pass is cheaper than buying normal
tickets. Note that you still need to make free seat
reservations, you cannot just hop on any train without a
reservation. To buy online in the UK, see
www.internationalrail.com
or call 0844 248 248 3, lines open 0900-1700 Monday-Friday. For more information, see
www.kiwirailscenic.co.nz.
Once you have a railpass, it's easy to make seat
reservations to go with it simply by calling Kiwi Rail
Scenic Journeys on 0800
TRAINS (0800
872 467) when you're in New Zealand, or in
advance from outside New Zealand by calling 00
64 4 495 0775.

Tailor-made holiday specialist Railbookers
(www.railbookers.com,
in the UK call 020 3327 0761) can arrange holidays
around New Zealand using train travel rather than buses or
flights. A 7-night trip from Auckland to Wellington on
the Northern Explorer, Wellington to Picton on the inter-island
ferry, Picton to Christchurch on the Coastal Pacific, and
Christchurch to Greymouth on the 'TranzAlpine' starts at
around £799 per person excluding flights.

Make
sure you take a good guidebook. The Lonely Planets
and Rough Guides are easily the best out there for the independent traveller.
Both guides provide an excellent level of practical information and historical
and cultural background. You won't regret buying one of these
guides..!

Click to buy
online at Amazon.co.uk...

Find a hotel in Christchurch, Greymouth or anywhere
else in New Zealand...

◄◄
Hotel search & price comparison.

www.hotelscombined.com
checks all the main hotel booking sites at once to find the widest choice of
hotels & the cheapest seller. It was named as the World's Leading Hotel
Comparison Site at the World Travel Awards 2013 and I highly recommend it, both
to find hotels in even the smallest places and to check that another retailer
isn't selling your hotel for less!

www.booking.com
is my favourite booking site. It's really clear and you can usually book with free
cancellation and so confirm your accommodation at no risk months before train
booking opens.

Other hotel sites
worth trying...

www.tripadvisor.com
is the place to find
independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).

Backpacker hostels...

If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget the hostels. For a dorm bed or an
ultra-cheap private room in backpacker hostels in most
European cities use
www.hostelbookers.com.

Travel insurance...

Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable
insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover
cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible
limit.
An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year, I have an annual policy myself. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.

Carry a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...

It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money
explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency
exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use
an ATM abroad. Taking this advice can save you quite a
lot on each trip compared to using your normal high-street
bank credit card!

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see
www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.
Consider
buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from
www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.